Likoma Island: Planning Our Work

(Katherine) 

We rose with the Likoma Island sunshine today, which at this time of year, winter, begins around 4:30AM. Fortunately, after our long Chambo Boat journey, we had gone to bed early.

After eating a breakfast of cereal, extra crunched from having traveled in our suitcases from Mzuzu, we dressed for the day of meetings and planning ahead of us. The head teacher told us the night before to come to visit the school and the hospital to meet with him and the hospital administration to confirm our plans and work schedules for the next six weeks.  

First stop: St. Peter’s Hospital. St. Peter’s Hospital is a co-public/private hospital, something of a norm here in Malawi. This means that the hospital is privately administered and overseen by the Anglican Diocese of Northern Malawi, but receives over 50% of its funding, staff salaries, and supplies from the Malawian government. Derek and I met with Mr. Francis Vuma, hospital administrator for our welcome. Being only an administrator, Mr. Vuma introduced us to Mr. Tableou (pronounced Table-o), head of the nurses, “the Matron,” for our assignments. We hope to give Mr. Tableou a lot of credit; in placing us he gently asked our interests, skill levels, and comfort in different areas, which will help us to serve the patients well and learn as much as possible. Mr. Tableou decided that I would work in maternity, laboratory, and family health education, and Derek will decide where he feels comfortable after further observation, though he will spend some time with the hospital chaplain, Father Jones.

Second stop: Bishop Biggers Secondary School. Bishop Biggers Secondary School is the Diocesan secondary school on Likoma. Secondary school in Malawi is equivalent to high school in the US having four standards (grades). Yet, unlike in the US, after second standard (10^th grade) and fourth standard (12^th grade), each student has to take 6 to 12 different subject exams to pass to the next standard. The exams at the end of fourth standard also act as tools for determining who graduates and who can be eligible for higher education. The head teacher is a priest of the Diocese. The transitional Deacon working on Likoma also teaches in the school. After meeting with the head teacher along with the assistant director, we determined that Derek will teach English, social studies, and computer skills for the three remaining weeks of the current trimester. I will teach English, history, and life skills.

Here are our final schedules:

Monday: Derek teaches English; Katherine at hospital.

Tuesday: Derek teaches social studies; Katherine at hospital.

Wednesday: Derek teaches English and computers; Katherine teaches English, life skills, history.

Thursday: Derek teaches social studies and computers; Katherine at hospital.

Friday: Derek teaches…; Katherine at hospital.

The excitement continues to build for our work on the island, but in the meantime, we will enjoy the time for exploration!